A soft breeze rustles tall pines rooted in a slim isthmus; dappled sunshine warms my face. I stare, mesmerized, at dark water lapping at creamy white sand.
"Julia! Pull the rope tighter!" My husband's bellow echoes across the lake, snapping me out of my trance. The tangle of thick blue rope I've gathered in my arms has gone slack, sagging in the water. I yank it taut, nodding to my friend Jess on the opposite bank. Heave-ho! In unison we pull our respective ropes, guiding our 44-foot houseboat into the cove. We tie them off at a perfect angle, forming a V-shape leading to the boat, just as we were instructed. As the mother ship motors down, Jess' husband, Andrew, putters in on our tow-behind fishing boat, and my husband, Ojas, throws out the gangplank. Jess and I high-five: After two days in Voyageurs National Park, we might just be finding our sea legs-or rather, lakes-the-size-of-a-sea legs.
A day prior, we embarked on our journey into the sprawling expanse of this northern Minnesota park. Straddling the Canadian border, Voyageurs takes its name from the French Canadian fur trappers who traversed these waters in canoes crafted from the surrounding birch and cedar forests. They coexisted with the native Chippewa (Ojibwe) tribe, who supplied the voyageurs with boats and taught them the ways of their land.
Today, the park encompasses 350 square miles, 500 islands and four main lakes: Rainy, Namakan, Kabetogama and Sand Point. Since one-third of Voyageurs is water, houseboating is the transportation and lodging of choice-and an annual ritual for some Upper Midwesterners.
Bu hikaye Midwest Living dergisinin Summer 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Midwest Living dergisinin Summer 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
MAJOR KEY
HUNDREDS OF SMALL ISLANDS TRAIL LIKE STEPPING STONES OFF OF FLORIDA INTO THE GULF OF MEXICOAND THE PATH LEADS TO KEY WEST.
cream of the crop
IN A TINY TOWN OUTSIDE MADISON, WISCONSIN, A CENTURY-OLD CREAMERY HAS BEEN REVIVED AS A BOUTIQUE HOTEL AND CULINARY DESTINATION. FOR VISITORS TO PAOLI, SEVEN ACRE DAIRY COMPANY ANCHORS A SWEET WEEKEND GETAWAY. FOR SMALL DAIRY PRODUCERS, IT'S RESHAPING THE FUTURE.
HOME BAKED
ON A TREE-LINED RESIDENTIAL STREET IN DES MOINES, A BAKERY DREAM HAS COME WRAPPED IN LOVE, UNEXPECTEDLY TRUE COMMUNITY AND ALL-BUTTER PASTRY.
POST MODERN
AN INDIANA DIY'ER STUMBLES INTO SOCIAL MEDIA STARDOM BY SHARING HER HOME'S EVER-CHANGING STYLE.
POUR ME A DOUBLE
COFFEE BY DAY, COCKTAILS BY NIGHTTHESE HYBRID CAFES OPEN EARLY FOR CAFFEINE FIXES AND STAY UP LATE FOR LIBATIONS.
HOT IN HERE
THE UPPER MIDWEST (AND ESPECIALLY MINNEAPOLIS) IS FIRED UP OVER SAUNA CULTURE. HERE ARE 10 WAYS AND PLACES TO GET YOUR STEAM ON.
SHOP THE BLOCK
FOR MORE THAN 15 YEARS, ST. LOUIS' ANNUAL PRINT BAZAAR HAS TURNED CHEROKEE STREET INTO A BUSTLING, MAGICAL MILE OF ART AND HOLIDAY CHEERTHE PERFECT KICKOFF TO A WEEKEND EXPLORING THE LOU.
EASY SQUEEZY
THIS LITTLE LEMON LOAF HAS A SOFT TEXTURE AND A PUCKERY, BUTTERY GLAZE THE PERFECT AFTERNOON BAKE FOR A SNOW DAY.
WINTER RESET
THESE WARMING, SPICE-FORWARD MEALS PROVIDE A HEALTHFUL RESPITE AMONG (OR AFTER) ALL THE HOLIDAY INDULGENCES.
DARK ARTS
WITH HER DRAMATIC COLOR CHOICE AND SECONDHAND TREASURES, INTERIOR DECORATOR RUTHIE JACKSON BRINGS THE MOOD WHEN HOSTING FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND.